Chiropodic sandal



Feb. 14, 1956 A. H. ANSON CHIROPODIC SANDAI..

Filed April 14, 1953 INVENTOR. ARTHUR H- HNsoN BYX Z Z United States Patent Office 2,734,286 Patented Feb. 14,1956

CHIROPODIC SANDAL Arthur H. Anson, Allentown, Pa.

Application April 14, 1953, Serial No. 348,610

3 Claims. (Cl. 368.5)

This invention relates generally to chiropodic devices and is more particularly concerned with such a device in the form of an article of footwear.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an article o-f footwear having as a component part thereof means effective to massage the bottom of the foot during normal use of the article.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such an article which affords the massage by permitting shifting movement of the foot over the means aforementioned.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide such an article which is ,exceedingly simple in design and construction and which is comparatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear more fully hereinafter, it being understood that said invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and general arrangement of parts, all as described in detail in the following specification, as shown in the accompanying drawing and as fully pointed ont in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, which is illustrative of a preferred construction embodying the principles of the present invention:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sandal embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional elevations of the sandal shown in use, the former showing the foot of the wearer shifted rearwardly in the sandal and the latter showing the foot of the wearer shifted forwardly in the sandal; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged portion of Figure 2 illustrating by broken lines the movement of the tubular elements as a consequence of shifting movement of the wearers foot thereover.

For purposes of illustration, the present invention is embodied in a sandal having a sole member 10, means for securing the sandal to the wearers foot and means on the sole member effective to massage the wearers foot during normal use of the sandal.

The solepiece 10 may be a fiat flexible member which is conventional in outline and which comprises an outsole 11 and an insole 12 secured together by an adhesive agent.

The means for securing the sandal to the wearers foot may be a pair of crossed straps 13-13 at the front of the sandal each having opposite end portions suitably secured to the member 10 and a buckled strap 14 at the rear of the sandal having opposite end portions suitably lsecured to a heelpiece 15, the latter being adhesively secured along its lower edge to the member 10,

The means for massaging the wearers foot comprise a series of parallel, transversely extending longitudinally spaced elements 16, each made from rubber-like stock which is resilient and which is preferably solid and round in transverse cross section. Each element 16 is permanently united, preferably by an adhesive agent 17 to the insole 12 along its longitudinally extending surface portion proximate the insole 12. The insole 12, heelpiece 15 and elements 16 may be made of the same rubber-like material, for example, foam rubber, sponge rubber or foamed plastisol.

Referring particularly to Figure 3, when a foot wearing the sandal engages the floor after taking a forward step, the foot shifts rearwardly in the sandal and so rocks the element 16 rearwardly, the latter being in a more or less flattened condition due to the pressure of the foot thereon. As the person moves forward, the foot is positioned flatly on the floor and shifts forward in the sandal. The elements 16, flattened by the pressure of the foot thereon but maintaining the same in space cushioned relation to the insole 12, are rocked forwardly to their initial positions by the shifting movement just mentioned. When the foot is about to be lifted from the floor just prior to the next forward step, it again shifts in the sandal and so rocks the elements 16, the latter being in more or less flattened condition due to the pressure of the foot thereon. When the foot is lifted from the floor for the next forward step, the foot once again shifts in the sandal and so rocks the elements 16, perhaps in slightly attened condition, to their initial positions. Thus, in the act of walking the foot shifts fore and aft in the sandal vover the elements 16. As a consequence, the foot is effectively massaged during normal use, as if by a series of rollers applied thereto with short strokes. In addition, it will be noted that even when not walking, the wearer may, if he so desires, shift his foot fore and aft in the sandal and thereby massage it, as illustrated in Figure 4 and by the broken lines in Figure 5. It will be understood, of course, that the sole 10 and the'means for securing the sandal to the foot are adapted to permit the aforementioned fore and aft shifting movement of the foot in the sandal.

It will be understood, of course, that the sandal as herein shown and described is susceptible of various changes and modifications which may be made from time to time without any departure from the general principles or real spirit of the present invention. For example, the elements 16 could be of hollow form or even be made of inflatable tubing, and instead of being of elongated rodlike form as shown, they could be shaped as nodules suitably secured to the upper surface of the insole 12 and arranged thereon in any desired more or less closely spaced relation. In fact, the resilient elements 16 could be arranged to form any desired geometric pattern upon the insole 12. Of course, instead of forming the elements 16 as separate members which are adhesively united to the insole 12, in certain instances it may be disirable to mold the entire slipper, including the resilient elements 16, in one piece. Accordingly, it is intended to claim the present invention broadly, as well as specifically, as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

l. In an article of footwear, in combination, a sole member, a series of members fixedly anchored to said sole member and extending upwardly thereabove in spaced relation to one another, said series of members being distributed over the upper surface of said sole member for direct engagement with the sole of the wearers foot and for maintaining the latter in superposed spaced relation to said sole member, said foot engaging members being pliant for movement thereof with a rolling motion within limits determined by their fixed anchorage and the degree of pliability, and means for securing said article to the foot while permitting the foot to shift fore and aft in said article for having the sole thereof massaged by said foot engaging members.

2. In an article of footwear, the combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the series of foot engaging members sucient for extending substantially fully across the sole are each an elongated member extending crosswise of the member. sole member, the underside of said elongated member beu ing permanently secured to the upper surface of said sole References Clted 1H the le 0f hlS Patent mmlen t l f f t th b t d 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS n an ar ice o oo wear, e com ma ion as efined in claim 2 wherein the series of foot engaging memlggw ghalmberlam gm 221' bers are disposed in laterally spaced parallel relation, each 1 1 0 sasless "N ec' 30 1937 being cylindrical in transverse cross section and of a length 2100492 m er OV' 

